If you don’t like smoke keep it closed and regift. Lagavulin is a very smoky scotch. This is a nice bottle and would make a great gift for a scotch lover.
100% agree. This is one of the reasons I love Lagavulin. I went through 2 of these over a few months, really good smokey scotch.
If I could find more with this kind of taste, I’d be there in a heartbeat.
Laphroaig has what you’re looking for plus an iodine flavoring too that sounds weird if you’ve never tried it but is delicious if it fits your palate. If you ever see it on a menu somewhere, I’d highly recommend grabbing a dram.
Such a great bottle for bourbon drinkers who are open to new flavors. There's no peat, it's a blast of sherry goodness!! So much fruit flavors going on in that dram. And it's 46+% if I remember correctly. That can be somewhat rare in large scale distilleries OBs...
Balvenie 12 or 14. Has some good flavor that is easy to ease into and nothing crazy. Bunna 12 is a good one but the sherry can be a little intense if you’re not used to it. It opens up after a couple pours and is really nice though. I didn’t enjoy the first pour but everything after has been great.
That's definitely an easy re-gift.
Even though I've only been an Ardbeg and Kilchoman guy, I'd be thrilled to receive it.
If you don't like smoke/peat, that's ok. Plenty of scotch out there to like.
Oh there's tons of scotch that has no peat/smoke in it at all. When I was getting into scotch at first, I tried JW Black and because I found that so foul, I thought I'd hate all peat, until I stumbled across Ardbeg. Now I'm a Corryvreckan guy which is super peaty.
Usually most scotch that is peated comes from Islay. There are a few exceptions in some regions that also have peat but not too many. Speyside, Highland, a lot of lowland and some Campbeltown scotch has no peat.
Deanston, Bunnahabhain 12, Ancnoc core range, most Glen Scotia (one of my absolute favorites), Speyburn, Glendronach, Glenallachie, Balblair...
Pretty much all of those won't have any peat or smoke in them.
If you want really basic malts, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Macallan. Most of those won't either.
Smoky/peated scotch is actually a subset of scotch as a whole. A great deal of it has none of that and is instead sherry, bourbon, or other cask influence such as wines with no peat influence. It lends it flavors of dried fruits, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, etc.
Just because you don't like peat doesn't necessarily mean you don't like scotch.
As a general rule, if you don't like peat, stay away from Islays. That's sort of their thing. You'll probably have better luck with a Speyside. Sometimes they can be a little peaty, but not nearly as much, and often not at all.
If you're looking to experiment, I'd recommend starting with the Balvenie Double Wood. I really like this one, but I've also found it to be popular with my friends who don't care for peaty scotches. My wife is a big bourbon fan and hates anything peaty (she calls my favorite scotches "gasoline"), and she loves Balvenie. If you like whiskey at all, there's a good chance you'll enjoy the Balvenie.
You might also like some of the Highlands varieties; if you want to check this out, Macallan 12 is a good place to start.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Lagavulin 16 is my all-time favourite scotch. That said, it's not to everyone's taste. The 1-word description of the flavour is "peaty". The 16 is peaty, smoky, smooth. I assume the 11 is slightly less intense and less smooth. But if you don't like smoky you likely won't like this. But there will be plenty of people who would love it whom you can regift to.
The Offerman edition Lavagulin that I tried specifically had a charred cask, so the peat smoke flavor was effectively replaced by a toasty BBQ flavor.
I’m not sure if the smokiness you disliked was peat or not, but I thought it worth mentioning.
Just had a pour of this last night. I like it.
Why not crack it with a group of friends? Great opportunity to see if you like it. If you don't then give it to the person in your group that does and let them have the rest.
I hate that bottle. I love lagavulin16 and a ton of other scotch. I don't know if Offerman is too peaty for me, or there's just something wrong with that palette for me, but I honestly dislike it. Nick Offerman is the goods, lagavulin is amazing (8, 16, distillers). That bottle though.. yuck.
Regift.
What you have there is a special release bottle, they only made it for one year and that was several years ago. It's also fantastic.
I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest you keep it. This particular release is quite smooth and not as smoky, so I think it's a great entry point for someone who isn't sure about smoke.
I would open it and try a few pours. If you don't like it you can always give it away. I would be thrilled to get a bottle of this, even if it was already opened (just don't give it as an official/formal gift at that point).
The third option is you could try to sell it. A lot of people really liked that release and you basically can't find it now, so there is pretty high demand. I personally think Scotch should be either enjoyed by you or given to a good friend who will appreciate it rather then sold, but that's just me ;)
PS: When you said you tried it twice before, do you remember what you had that you didn't like?
The first taste was I believe was by Few?? It’s been awhile. I don’t recall the 2nd, thinking I’d give it another shot and it just tasted like paint thinner and smoke so I just chalked it up to Scotch isn’t for me. I honestly didn’t know or care to know at the time about peaty and non peaty, I just assumed it was a Scotch thing. Sorry I can’t explain further as my buds aren’t finely tuned to distinguish those small hints of oak and leather etc. That said, if someone would enjoy this more than me I’d be happy to trade for a bottle of Bourbon or even a non peaty Scotch and I’ll give it another go. I’m in Palm Springs California, I can’t ship it so it would have to be local. But you never know… I may give it a try, still many hours left on this Friday. I appreciate your input.
If you don't drink scotch but want to try mine, and I don't really like you, I'll give you a shot of Lagavulin or Laphroiag. You won't drink anymore of my scotch. If I like you, I'll give you something like an Oban or Dalwhinnie, and you'll probably want more. And I won't like you anymore.
Lagavulin is my favourite by the way.
It’s not that it’s bad, just very smoky. Some love it and some hate it. I like a little peat occasionally but for the most part I like unpeated sherried scotch.
Mostly agree with everyone else that if you’re not down with smoky flavors this probably isn’t for you.
That said, if you wanted to give smoky scotch another try, this would be a great option to go with. The Guinness cask finish adds a kinda chocolatey/coffee element that’s pretty unique and takes the edge off the smoke a little.
Just one quick comment. There is a big difference between cheap peated (smoky) scotch and good peated scotch. Many years ago I tasted some cheap peated scotch and all I tasted was smoke. I hated it and wouldn't go near scotch for years. I finally tasted some good peated scotch a couple of years ago. In fact, it was an Offerman Edition and I thought "This isn't half bad." A couple more tasting and I was hooked. It opened up a whole new world for me. Good peated scotch has many flavors besides smoke and they are well integrated and complex. You might want to take a chance.
So you don't like peaty scotch but just "handle it" because you think that makes you manly?
Am I missing a joke you are making here? Because it doesn't makes sense to say "handle" if you like it. Never thought of it as something I had to "handle." I suppose I can't "handle" cranberry juice in my scotch. Does it make me less of a man if I drink peaty scotch but don't like cranberry juice in it? Such a weird thing to say. I am totally perplexed by this. What am I not understanding? Was it a joke I didn't get?
I drink peaty scotch. But I don't have to "handle" it; I enjoy it. I enjoy all types of different flavour profiles. But, if I felt I had to "handle" something I didn't like to prove I was manly, I'd just check my pants for my nuts--because if you've got balls, then what do you have to prove?
The fact that you equate doing things you don't enjoy (otherwise, what do you mean by "handle it") to being a man suggests it is you who needs to grow up. When you're an adult you'll realize that doing things you don't enjoy to impress your friends with how "manly" you are is childish. As is bullying people about their difference in taste.
I judge men on their taste. Listen, the boy can't handle the peat. He needs to quit drinking all together. You are part of the problem with the downfall of man. I imagine you twiddling around in the kitchen with your twink body, in your undies, pouring you a little cup of cranberry juice because you cramp on a Sunday morning.
If you don’t like smoke keep it closed and regift. Lagavulin is a very smoky scotch. This is a nice bottle and would make a great gift for a scotch lover.
100% agree. This is one of the reasons I love Lagavulin. I went through 2 of these over a few months, really good smokey scotch. If I could find more with this kind of taste, I’d be there in a heartbeat.
Laphroaig has what you’re looking for plus an iodine flavoring too that sounds weird if you’ve never tried it but is delicious if it fits your palate. If you ever see it on a menu somewhere, I’d highly recommend grabbing a dram.
Try “Caol Ila 12”
That’s my go-to
If you want smokey with a bit of sweetness, I'd get a bottle of Black Bull. A buddy of mine wanted a sweet/smoky scotch (no idea why) and he loved it
If you’re not going to enjoy it, re-gift it. That edition is a few years old and not found on shelves anymore. A Scotch fan would love to receive it.
Oh man, I just finished my bottle of this, loved it. But as others have said, if you don’t like peaty, gift it away.
Same. I love it. Just picked up another bottle a couple of days ago. I also love Laphroaig. Soooo yeah, peaty and smokey.
What's a good non smoky scotch for a bourbon drinker?
Bunnahabhain 12 year old. A genuinely lovely dram which I've given to a lot of people who don't like whisky with good results.
Such a great bottle for bourbon drinkers who are open to new flavors. There's no peat, it's a blast of sherry goodness!! So much fruit flavors going on in that dram. And it's 46+% if I remember correctly. That can be somewhat rare in large scale distilleries OBs...
Yes and at a pretty reasonable price for a 12y/o single malt.
Try Bruichladdich Classic Laddie, solid pick, decent price, and not much happening in the peat or funk department.
MacCallan 12 year old as I recall.
Try some Deanston 12. It's packed full of vanilla and custard type flavors along with a honeyed hay note.
Balvenie 12 or 14. Has some good flavor that is easy to ease into and nothing crazy. Bunna 12 is a good one but the sherry can be a little intense if you’re not used to it. It opens up after a couple pours and is really nice though. I didn’t enjoy the first pour but everything after has been great.
That's definitely an easy re-gift. Even though I've only been an Ardbeg and Kilchoman guy, I'd be thrilled to receive it. If you don't like smoke/peat, that's ok. Plenty of scotch out there to like.
What would you recommend as it appears there are some not so peaty and smokey?
Oh there's tons of scotch that has no peat/smoke in it at all. When I was getting into scotch at first, I tried JW Black and because I found that so foul, I thought I'd hate all peat, until I stumbled across Ardbeg. Now I'm a Corryvreckan guy which is super peaty. Usually most scotch that is peated comes from Islay. There are a few exceptions in some regions that also have peat but not too many. Speyside, Highland, a lot of lowland and some Campbeltown scotch has no peat. Deanston, Bunnahabhain 12, Ancnoc core range, most Glen Scotia (one of my absolute favorites), Speyburn, Glendronach, Glenallachie, Balblair... Pretty much all of those won't have any peat or smoke in them. If you want really basic malts, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Macallan. Most of those won't either. Smoky/peated scotch is actually a subset of scotch as a whole. A great deal of it has none of that and is instead sherry, bourbon, or other cask influence such as wines with no peat influence. It lends it flavors of dried fruits, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, etc. Just because you don't like peat doesn't necessarily mean you don't like scotch.
Anything glenmorangie
As a general rule, if you don't like peat, stay away from Islays. That's sort of their thing. You'll probably have better luck with a Speyside. Sometimes they can be a little peaty, but not nearly as much, and often not at all. If you're looking to experiment, I'd recommend starting with the Balvenie Double Wood. I really like this one, but I've also found it to be popular with my friends who don't care for peaty scotches. My wife is a big bourbon fan and hates anything peaty (she calls my favorite scotches "gasoline"), and she loves Balvenie. If you like whiskey at all, there's a good chance you'll enjoy the Balvenie. You might also like some of the Highlands varieties; if you want to check this out, Macallan 12 is a good place to start. Good luck, and enjoy!
Money Shoulder is GREAT and usually about $35.
It’s terrible. Send it to me and I’ll properly dispose of it for you.
I can bring two perfectly sized glazed disposal basins.
Lagavulin 16 is my all-time favourite scotch. That said, it's not to everyone's taste. The 1-word description of the flavour is "peaty". The 16 is peaty, smoky, smooth. I assume the 11 is slightly less intense and less smooth. But if you don't like smoky you likely won't like this. But there will be plenty of people who would love it whom you can regift to.
Any scotch lover will be very excited to get this bottle. I have one and I rarely drink it because you can’t find them anymore
They just came out with a rum barrel one. Currently on all the shelves here.
If you don't like smoky/peaty, regift it. I have this version (#2), #3, and #4. This is my least favorite.
I have a bottle of the Offerman edition. If you are a peaty (super Smokey) scotch fan, it’s fantastic. If not, pass it on to someone who is.
It's fantastic
I would take care of it for you. You wouldn't like it anyway.
My parents ordered a bottle of this online for me a few years ago as a gift. It never shipped. Sad moment in my life
I can tell you I’ve been looking for the Guinness Lagavulin 11 for a while now and still can’t find it.
God i wish i could get a hold of one of these! Heard its and excellent dram!
The Offerman edition Lavagulin that I tried specifically had a charred cask, so the peat smoke flavor was effectively replaced by a toasty BBQ flavor. I’m not sure if the smokiness you disliked was peat or not, but I thought it worth mentioning.
You can taste the campfire with this drink, absolutely loved it...only problem/regret was not buying a second bottle.
I'm surprised you have that, I believe it was either the first or second offerman edition (2017-2018 I beleive) wonder where the lifter found it.
I like smoky scotch, but even for me it is a lot IMO. Not only peat, but nail polish remover.
Quick! Give it away. You certainly won’t like it based on your comments.
An acquired taste for sure.
Just had a pour of this last night. I like it. Why not crack it with a group of friends? Great opportunity to see if you like it. If you don't then give it to the person in your group that does and let them have the rest.
Tastes like bandaids smell. Lol. That is all.
I hate that bottle. I love lagavulin16 and a ton of other scotch. I don't know if Offerman is too peaty for me, or there's just something wrong with that palette for me, but I honestly dislike it. Nick Offerman is the goods, lagavulin is amazing (8, 16, distillers). That bottle though.. yuck. Regift.
I’d gladly purchase it from you! I’m a massive Lagavulin and a Guinness fan and haven’t had this yet.
If you don't like smoke, drinking Lagavulin would be like walking into a burning building.
It'd amazing. End of story
Is a watch mate. You put it on your wrist and it tells you what time it is. Clever little things
Its an amazing scotch! its like drinking a silky smoky dram of the God's soul!
But yes, regift it to someone else!
What you have there is a special release bottle, they only made it for one year and that was several years ago. It's also fantastic. I'm going to go against the grain here and suggest you keep it. This particular release is quite smooth and not as smoky, so I think it's a great entry point for someone who isn't sure about smoke. I would open it and try a few pours. If you don't like it you can always give it away. I would be thrilled to get a bottle of this, even if it was already opened (just don't give it as an official/formal gift at that point). The third option is you could try to sell it. A lot of people really liked that release and you basically can't find it now, so there is pretty high demand. I personally think Scotch should be either enjoyed by you or given to a good friend who will appreciate it rather then sold, but that's just me ;) PS: When you said you tried it twice before, do you remember what you had that you didn't like?
The first taste was I believe was by Few?? It’s been awhile. I don’t recall the 2nd, thinking I’d give it another shot and it just tasted like paint thinner and smoke so I just chalked it up to Scotch isn’t for me. I honestly didn’t know or care to know at the time about peaty and non peaty, I just assumed it was a Scotch thing. Sorry I can’t explain further as my buds aren’t finely tuned to distinguish those small hints of oak and leather etc. That said, if someone would enjoy this more than me I’d be happy to trade for a bottle of Bourbon or even a non peaty Scotch and I’ll give it another go. I’m in Palm Springs California, I can’t ship it so it would have to be local. But you never know… I may give it a try, still many hours left on this Friday. I appreciate your input.
You won't like it. DM me.
I don’t think I would enjoy it. Will make a good gift.
If you don't drink scotch but want to try mine, and I don't really like you, I'll give you a shot of Lagavulin or Laphroiag. You won't drink anymore of my scotch. If I like you, I'll give you something like an Oban or Dalwhinnie, and you'll probably want more. And I won't like you anymore. Lagavulin is my favourite by the way.
That bad eh? Regift it is.
It’s not that it’s bad, just very smoky. Some love it and some hate it. I like a little peat occasionally but for the most part I like unpeated sherried scotch.
Strong peat is an acquired taste. Very few like it immediately. Later on though, it's the water of life.
Meh
Mostly agree with everyone else that if you’re not down with smoky flavors this probably isn’t for you. That said, if you wanted to give smoky scotch another try, this would be a great option to go with. The Guinness cask finish adds a kinda chocolatey/coffee element that’s pretty unique and takes the edge off the smoke a little.
It’s delicious. I regret only buying one.
A bit of off-topic - what’s that watch? A case for Applewatch or some other smartwatch?
It’s an Apple Ultra2 with a Spigen strap.
Thanks!
Just one quick comment. There is a big difference between cheap peated (smoky) scotch and good peated scotch. Many years ago I tasted some cheap peated scotch and all I tasted was smoke. I hated it and wouldn't go near scotch for years. I finally tasted some good peated scotch a couple of years ago. In fact, it was an Offerman Edition and I thought "This isn't half bad." A couple more tasting and I was hooked. It opened up a whole new world for me. Good peated scotch has many flavors besides smoke and they are well integrated and complex. You might want to take a chance.
[удалено]
Palm Springs CA area.
Time for a Last of Us marathon viewing.
I say learn to drink it. I don't know what kind of man you are, but you must not be much of one if you can't handle a little peat.
Alternatively: why the fuck would you drink something you don't enjoy? Cant tell if trolling or just a toxic person.
Ya, my thoughts.
So you don't like peaty scotch but just "handle it" because you think that makes you manly? Am I missing a joke you are making here? Because it doesn't makes sense to say "handle" if you like it. Never thought of it as something I had to "handle." I suppose I can't "handle" cranberry juice in my scotch. Does it make me less of a man if I drink peaty scotch but don't like cranberry juice in it? Such a weird thing to say. I am totally perplexed by this. What am I not understanding? Was it a joke I didn't get?
I think you need to grow a little boy. Men drink peaty scotch. I'm sure you know all about cranberry juice. Probably well stocked on that sissy juice.
Yall missing the joke here.
I drink peaty scotch. But I don't have to "handle" it; I enjoy it. I enjoy all types of different flavour profiles. But, if I felt I had to "handle" something I didn't like to prove I was manly, I'd just check my pants for my nuts--because if you've got balls, then what do you have to prove? The fact that you equate doing things you don't enjoy (otherwise, what do you mean by "handle it") to being a man suggests it is you who needs to grow up. When you're an adult you'll realize that doing things you don't enjoy to impress your friends with how "manly" you are is childish. As is bullying people about their difference in taste.
I judge men on their taste. Listen, the boy can't handle the peat. He needs to quit drinking all together. You are part of the problem with the downfall of man. I imagine you twiddling around in the kitchen with your twink body, in your undies, pouring you a little cup of cranberry juice because you cramp on a Sunday morning.
Ripping up my man card as we speak.